Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Bougros Grand Cru 2004

Lean and stony, yet has purity. Lemon, apple and mineral flavors are wound around a steely core. Long and a tad green on the finish. Best from 2009 through 2020. 650 cases made. –BS Score: 90 Wine Spectator

A hint of reduction detracts mildly from the expressive green fruit nose nuanced by hints of the exotic that gives way to exceptionally rich and explosive flavors that seem to go on and on. This is not a particularly elegant wine but for those who enjoy Chablis that makes a statement, this delivers what you're looking for because while this isn't subtle it is dramatic as the intensity is almost painful. Tasted: Oct 01, 2006 Score: 92 Drink: 2010+ Issue 24 Allen Meadows; Burghound

As usual, most of the Brocard family, including enologist Clothide Davenne, were on hand to talk about the most recent vintage and their various new projects. In particular, Brocard's son Julien, who is in charge of viticulture for the domaine, is enthusiastically driving to convert the vineyards to biodynamic farming, noting that "we presently have 35 of our 135 ha farmed this way and we hope to have the rest converted over the next 5 to 7 years." Additionally, as noted above under Domaine Azo, the Brocard family has purchased it outright. As to the 2004 vintage, Brocard told me that they waited until October 3rd to begin picking. "The second half of July and virtually all of August were overcast and gloomy with an absence of both the necessary heat and luminosity to really ripen the grapes adequately. Thanks to a superb September however, the grapes rapidly ripened and while we probably could have begun picking on the ban de vendange (declared September 29th), we decided to push our luck and wait a few more days. We were rewarded with sugars that ranged from 11.5 to 12.5% and near perfect acidities. Yields were generous after the tiny 2003 harvest, coming in between 60 and 70 hl/ha. While perhaps not ideal, this is a level for chardonnay that can still provide for excellent quality provided that you don't press too hard. We pressed gently and because of a fairly severe attack of oidium, which we managed to contain, we still decided that it was best to do a longer débourbage than usual to avoid any contamination. I quite like the vintage because it has plenty of classic Chablis character and excellent balance, which should permit the wines to age very well over the medium term." The Brocard '04s offer much to like and for those who love classically styled Chablis, these will not disappoint. The present plan is to bottle between July and November.

As an aside, Brocard is emphatically in the no oak camp as almost 100% stainless steel is used from start to finish (though a few wines see a bit of oak) and this approach seems to have been particularly successful in 2003. The Domaine Sainte-Claire designation is used to indicate a 15th Century church that is directly adjacent to the state-of-the-art winery.

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